ebooks How the French Saved America: Soldiers; Sailors; Diplomats; Louis XVI; and the Success of a Revolution by Tom Shachtman in History

Review

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful. A European Look at The American RevolutionBy Andy in WashingtonI have read quite a bit about the American Revolution; it is one of my favorite periods of history. But this book filled in quite a few gaps; as I had never really understood the Revolution from a more Eurocentric view. Tom Shachtman does an excellent job of presenting the view from the French viewpoint; and examines the actions and consequences of their involvement.=== The Good Stuff ===* The book highlights some of the aspects of the French participation in the Revolution that I had been unaware of. For example; I had never considered the motivations of French military officers serving in America; but as the author pointed out; it was viewed as a prestigious assignment. That attracted the best and the brightest officers; such as Lafayette and de Grasse; but also a group of less than stellar officers who say a chance at quick glory and fame. This put the Americans; the “junior partner” in the relationship; in the position of having to turn down offered officers.* There is a nice mix of diplomacy; military strategy and tactics; and European politics. We see the French using the Revolution as an opportunity to weaken their traditional enemy of Great Britain; but also the Spanish seeking advantage for its trade and military position. Although Shachtman leaves the question unanswered; you can’t help but wonder how much of the seeds of the French Revolution came from America. The French revolution cost Louis XVI his head; and may have been a direct result of his generosity to the Americans.* One of the more interesting parts of the book concentrated on the relations between senior American and French commanders. The French respected Washington; but were somewhat reserved at first about his abilities as a commander. At Lafayette’s insistence; the King Louis XVI issued an edict that French commanders were to be under the direct authority of American commanders. Only the dedication and personalities of the men involved allowed this to be a workable situation.* There are a few marvelous little anecdotes and cool stories. Near the end of the book; we find the American and French armies getting a tremendous boost because the smell of French Bread baking distracted the British. On such trivia; countries are founded!=== The Not-So-Good Stuff ===* While Shachtman mention one instance of Benjamin Franklin playing “good cop/bad cop” with his French counterparts; for the most part the author doesn’t give the reader a lot of guidance in interpreting the actions of the senior American diplomats. My own view is that Franklin and his colleagues were perfectly capable of being backed into the exact corner they wanted to be in; but it is tough to sift that out from the narrative.* The book is a little short. I would have like to see a few more chapters at the end; dealing with how the French/Spanish/American alliance progressed; and the allies support as America became a country; and a challenger to its allies.=== Summary ===I enjoyed the book; and read it in a day or two. It was an easy to read book; and it filled in a lot of blank spots in my knowledge about one of my favorite periods of history. The book seems very well referenced; although it was a bit tough to check very many of them; since I was reading a galley copy were the references weren’t completely marked. I would recommend the book to any fan of this period of history; although it won’t stand along for anyone not familiar with the Revolutionary War.=== Disclaimer ===I was able to read an advance copy through the courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher.